So in my current job I need to wear safety toed shoes but my boots aren't cutting it as actually feeling pedal response is a bit difficult. Work got me some Reebok safety shoes but they are very uncomfortable for me. Any one have any suggestions of a thinner sole safety shoe?
Considering a pair of these Ryder but don't know if they are any good so looking for other possibilities.
Walmart has a Brahma brand steel toes hiking boots that has a thin sole, I hated them for that reason but you could feel pedals definitely
Try doc martens?
Teh E36 M3 said:Try doc martens?
Doc Martens are thin soled? I am really hoping I can find something with like Vans or Puma SpeedCat level of thickness.
Why not just leave the steel toed boots at work and change shoes when you get there?
That's what I did when I worked for Ramsey Winch.
Can you leave your steel toes at work and wear sneakers or whatever on the drive in? That's what I do, since I also hate driving stick in steel toes.
A worn in set of Doc's are probably the best I have some 10+ year old ones that feel decent finally.
In reply to z31maniac :
The problem is I am doing some vehicle testing at work and the buildings I start driving from require steel toes. So with the current rules I have to get into the vehicle I am testing in steel toes. I guess I could change shoes once I got into the vehicle I am testing but lugging around an extra pair of shoes is kind of a pain in the ass.
In reply to 93EXCivic :
Is the requirement steel toe specifically, or is it just a protected toe at spec X (sort of like the ANSI safety glass rule where you can get good prescription glasses.
If it's the latter, seems like the money spent on sport shoes would be well spent.
The former- hope you can find something that works. 30 years ago, Chevron bought me a set of dress shoes with steel toe in them. But that was when we all had to wear ties to work. Those might have been ok.
Steel toed sneakers were an option where I worked, I understand Wolverines are light but check all of them, Red Wing etc.
93EXCivic said:In reply to z31maniac :
The problem is I am doing some vehicle testing at work and the buildings I start driving from require steel toes. So with the current rules I have to get into the vehicle I am testing in steel toes. I guess I could change shoes once I got into the vehicle I am testing but lugging around an extra pair of shoes is kind of a pain in the ass.
Ahh, so you drive straight to that building in the morning vs having to check in/clock in at a different building first.
In reply to alfadriver :
I'll have to double check to be honest. Pretty sure it is a steel toe though.
z31maniac said:93EXCivic said:In reply to z31maniac :
The problem is I am doing some vehicle testing at work and the buildings I start driving from require steel toes. So with the current rules I have to get into the vehicle I am testing in steel toes. I guess I could change shoes once I got into the vehicle I am testing but lugging around an extra pair of shoes is kind of a pain in the ass.
Ahh, so you drive straight to that building in the morning vs having to check in/clock in at a different building first.
I have to park in a parking lot badge in through a gate and walk to our R&D shop. The walk and R&D shop require safety shoes. The vehicles I would have to drive are either in that shop or the audit building which also requires safety shoes.
93EXCivic said:In reply to alfadriver :
I'll have to double check to be honest. Pretty sure it is a steel toe though.
Cool. Good luck in your search!
93EXCivic said:z31maniac said:93EXCivic said:In reply to z31maniac :
The problem is I am doing some vehicle testing at work and the buildings I start driving from require steel toes. So with the current rules I have to get into the vehicle I am testing in steel toes. I guess I could change shoes once I got into the vehicle I am testing but lugging around an extra pair of shoes is kind of a pain in the ass.
Ahh, so you drive straight to that building in the morning vs having to check in/clock in at a different building first.
I have to park in a parking lot badge in through a gate and walk to our R&D shop. The walk and R&D shop require safety shoes. The vehicles I would have to drive are either in that shop or the audit building which also requires safety shoes.
Ugh, that sounds like a PITA. I can understand your conundrum.
For actual boots, maybe look at iron worker style with the flat soles. They resemble wrastlin' boots, but they're comfy. I have a pair of Timberland Pro iron workers with an actual rubber sole that lasts and they don't look like you stole them from Nick Bokwinkel
914Driver said:
A bunch of guys at work wear those and swear they are as light and nimble as a regular pair of shoes.
I have to wear regular shoes to work if I take any other vehicle there besides my Tacoma. My Chippewa's are too chunky.
I wear Bates uniform boots with composite toe (electrical rated safe) that are MUCH lighter and less bulky than any of the boots I've worn - steel, composite, or plain toe - for work or private life.
Simular to:
https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bates-mens-8-sport-side-zip-tactical-boots
'Course one been wearing boots of some form or another since I was a pre-teen, so YMMV.
As far as steel vs composite - it is a 40 year habit for companies to refer to ALL safety toe footwear as "steel toe boots required" when what their actual written requirement is "must meet..."
99.7% of the time "steel" toe and composite are the same. In many ways, composite toe is better, and meets the requirements.
Had to explain that to more then one company along the way
93EXCivic said:In reply to z31maniac :
The problem is I am doing some vehicle testing at work and the buildings I start driving from require steel toes. So with the current rules I have to get into the vehicle I am testing in steel toes. I guess I could change shoes once I got into the vehicle I am testing but lugging around an extra pair of shoes is kind of a pain in the ass.
Test drive in bare feet?
This eliminates the need for the extra pair of shoes.
preach (fs) said:914Driver said:
A bunch of guys at work wear those and swear they are as light and nimble as a regular pair of shoes.
I have to wear regular shoes to work if I take any other vehicle there besides my Tacoma. My Chippewa's are too chunky.
I have been thinking about those. It is good to hear so real life reports.
In reply to 93EXCivic :
I drive, pretty exclusively, in Vans slip-ons. I, too, want to try these to see if I need to swap shoes in the summer when I am driving my Cayman daily.
Before my two dogs passed from old age, I started changing shoes because the canine fools would lick my boots after work and there had to be some nasty stuff on them. Then there was the driving issue.
The downfall to the ones pictured is that they are not remotely waterproof if that is a concern.
I bought these last year after a conversation here on this forum. They might work for you. They don't work well for me because the soles are too thin. I got them to work in the shop during hotter months and they are comfy, but there isn't enough sole/cushion to be comfy on concrete floors for 10 hours a day for my 230-lb, 47-year-old body.
I've been wearing the "athletic" style steel toes for a few years now and really like them. I've had a couple of pairs of RedWings, and I've been wearing some composite toe HyTest brand for the last 1.5 years or so like these:
They're all much lighter, better breathing, and more flexible than regular steel toe boots. The Red Wings were a bit chunkier than the HyTests (probably due to steel toe vs compostie). The HyTest are cheap, but they've held up pretty well in my usage (testing in an R&D facility similar to yours). They have a thin rubber sole that's applied over a mostly foam structure, so they're pretty light and really flexible. The insoles on mine are memory foam which is nice. They're not quite as small and light as regular tennis shoes, but they're honestly pretty close. I wear size 13, so the size of the pedal box can be an issue, but pedal feel is much better than regular boots. I wouldn't expect them to hold up as well over time as some more expensive boots can, but they're cheap enough that I can replace them once every year or two and not feel too bad about it (plus we get an annual stipend for shoes).
My actual work boots only come out of the closet now when it's really cold and snowy, or when I'm using a chainsaw or something at home.
Try the Timberland Pro Gladstones. I have a pair and the soles are just a hair too soft for walking on concrete all day. They are good for driving, surprisingly flexible.
They felt great when I tried them on, but broke in a little too soft.
I either violate in my Nikes (if at my place of employment) or wear slip on tall Dr. Martens steel toes (if acting as a contractor at someone else's plant)
Hell, I made it 10 years wrenching on heavy equipment in flip-flops, I can walk through the shop to go see how weld is coming on my projects in a pair of sneakers.
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